An important milestone was reached in September with the completion of piling at Franklin St.

In total, more than 100 concrete piles were poured to support the construction of the access shaft.

Each pile was 52 m deep. To put this into context, the height of some of the nearby buildings located on Franklin Street is 45 metres.

Over 6000 cubic metres of concrete and 2000 tonnes of steel have been used at the Franklin St site.

Capping beams are now being progressively installed around the perimeter to provide further protection during shaft excavation and to support the acoustic shed.

Piling has started at A’Beckett St and is expected to be complete by November. Almost 70 piles are needed at this location to support the walls around another shaft.

These shafts will provide vital access for the construction of the new underground station.

Preparation works, including the removal of canopies and awnings, is underway ahead of the demolition of buildings near the corner of Swanston St and LaTrobe St.

Scaffolding and a pedestrian gantry is being installed for the safety of the community and workers. This is expected to be complete by mid-October.

There will be some footpath closures along Swanston St and LaTrobe St during night works with signed detours in place for pedestrians.

The building demolition is expected to start in October and will continue until early 2018.

CBD South

Major work continues below ground at the City Square construction site.

Work continues to build a dividing wall which separates the City Square demolition site and the Westin building basement. This wall will separate the new underground station from the hotel.

A new, taller hoarding has been installed on Swanston St to provide further protection around the work site. The new hoarding allowed for the return of around one metre to the current footpath width.

Building demolition preparation works are also underway in CBD South.

This includes the removal of awnings and canopies from the buildings on Swanston St, located between Young and Jackson and the Nicholas Building.

There will be some closures of the Swanston St footpath in this location during the night works with a signed detour in place for pedestrians.

Hoarding and a covered gantry will also be installed to provide protection for pedestrians during the building demolition, which is expected to start in November until mid-December.

Reference Group

The first meeting of the CBD Community Reference Group (CRG) was held in September.

This CRG is made up of representatives from more than 30 stakeholder groups across CBD North and South, including residential buildings, businesses and other key stakeholders. The group has been established as a forum for information sharing, consultation and communication during the construction of the Metro Tunnel.